A&K AIRSOFT + KRISS = TROUBLE? – VECTOR AEG
Recent news has come up that A&K Airsoft is releasing the KRISS Vector in the highly awaited Electric (AEG) form but just one problem.. A&K does not have the needed licensing from KRISS to allow this.
Published by: “TaiwanGun” “Unlisted YouTube Status”
The video above will show the new KRISS AEG being reviewed. Is it real? Is it a hoax? This does not fit the normal marketing from Krytac the Airsoft branch when they released their M4 lineup so there is a lot of confusion going on in the Airsoft World as of now.
Cheaper and Sooner!?!?
That is the general sentiment of this new AEG from A&K and some others have pointed out the legal issues but if the customers want it in their hands who will make it happen? The US stores and Chinese middle men of course. This hasn’t been the first time and surely not the last time.
Over the past couple years the Airsoft market has turned more into the corporate paperwork instead of making happy players like it use to be but business is business and the times has changed. Some stores here in the USA do not adhere to the legalities of the changing industry.
AirSplat Website JG HK416 $190.00
The “HK Airosft” Market has been claimed by Umarex/Elite Force with their pricey VFC OEMed HK416 models which were released in the early 2000’s by Vega Force Company long before Umarex had the Airsoft branch called Elite Force. With this expensive model around $400 still on the market there is a demand for the “cool rifle” but not the price and that is where companies like A&K or several others come into play to help fill the sales orders and capture that hungry market.
With a quick Google search you can find HK rifles like this HK416 listed on Airsplat’s website. And that is not all since the back side of the web there are SEO and Meta Tagging to get those hungry customers onto their website to fulfill their want and need at half the cost.
Tweak it a little and we are good right?
Airsoft MegaStore Product “R36” but not a G36
Altering the product to get by is a tricky subject. Last time I checked it was 30% to be different and not the same or stealing the intellectual property of the original designs. This is a HK G36 and pops up on the Google search so is it a HK G36 or something different? The list goes on in the Airsoft world to compete with pricing and making sales using the popular brands and market trends.
Back on topic with A&K and KRISS
Looking at those examples and the A&K KRISS Vector in the video will they get in trouble? The answer is NO. The A&K Vector is tweaked and will skirt by. They will get a C&D letter but they will still make the product and ship it out. There will still be customers willing to buy the rifle despite it not being from Krytac. Airsoft brand loyalty does not really exist and it comes down to cost and time and this is when A&K stepped in with a knock out.
But it is the same gun! Make them stop it!
Why stop them but not the other brands and US stores that are selling these knock off rifles? We still see stores importing and selling the Airsoft Glock pistol from WE Tech but since you can’t get them people are still buying and selling them. The next best thing would be the KWA ATP and Echo1 Timberwolf which acknowledged the Glock legalities and avoided any issues and made a new pistol or worked with a firearm company that is already in the clear from Glock.
Airsoft is about being cool and different and at the end of the day about money since it is a luxury hobby. Saving money is important in today’s US economic climate.
Switch it up and push it out
While we are looking at Krytac and how they are being copied per say by A&K for the KRISS Vector along with G&G releasing their Predator rifle which is very close to the LVOA rifle and then recently Valken released their redintion of the same rifle.
Related Blog: KRISS in Trouble?
Photo from Airsoft Squared
Long ago when Krytac first came out to talk about their new Airsoft rifles they were using the old school Knight’s type rails which were used mostly by KWA and several other brands. Brand new rifle line up for the new market but using an old rail? That does not make much sense when trying to make it big and clearly show you are not related to KWA or using most of the old employees which is another odd bit of information.
Around the same time Zshot inc. signed the licensing agreement with Knight’s Armament Airsoft or KAA which is the Airosft branch of Kinght’s the firearm company. With Zshot holding the KAA licensing paperwork for Airsoft and acting as a gate keeping in a sense the world saw the new Madbull KAC mock suppressors, Knight’s LMG, Echo1 SR16 and several other small parts. Overnight it seemed the old Knight’s quad rails were removed from the Krytac social media pages and boasting their new rail called “Defiance” that was a keymod design. Fitting name.
So who is the bad guy now? That is a hard question to answer but the goal after all of this is to have fun on the Airsoft field with your rifle.
